I never get tired of a good shifter story, and Moira Rogers has become a favorite of mine over the last couple of years when it comes to these sexy and dangerous wolves in This Red Rock Pass series. It’s still going strong, and as much as I love an alpha hero, this time it’s the beta who get his story and his girl.

We met Dylan in the first book of the series, Cry Sanctuary, when he helps the heroine of that story escape their jerk of an alpha, one who controlled others with fear, especially the females of the pack. In the second book, Sanctuary Lost, Dylan is living with the healer of his new pack, but things aren’t going that well for them when witch Sasha Wallace shows up, and it’s all downhill from there, which is where Sanctuary’s Pricepicks up.

Dylan is feeling a little sorry for himself, now on his own and beginning to work on an old fixer-upper so he’ll have a place to live. He doesn’t feel like the hero everyone else claims he is. He should have done more so that others like Abby and her sister weren’t hurt before he finally, along with others, took care of the evil that threatened them all. But with his new pack and new alpha, all is not lost.

Feeling she owes a number of people in Red Rock Pass for her life and now a temporary home, Sasha is staying put for the time being, even though there are a number of wolves who still look at her with suspicion, mostly because of her magical abilities. But she’s needed and she’ll help the best she can. Working with Dylan to fight a new evil attacking wolves is unexpected but Sasha pays her debts. And there’s something about the man that she just can’t resist.

Both Dylan and Sasha have scars, internally as well as externally, from their former lives that make them cautious on one hand but bold on the other, and when Dylan volunteers to help Sasha work her magic to help lessen the current threat, feelings and emotions multiply with spells and enchantment literally coursing through them. I like how the story begins with these two working together to solve the immediate problem while first fighting their attraction and then welcoming it and then letting it grow on its own.

Then the story takes off when they’re sent by their alpha to investigate odd goings-on at a once friendly pack. The action there and the intricacies of magic, both good and dark, are nonstop. We are also introduced to a number of new characters who are quite interesting and intriguing and I hope we get to meet them again in later books.

I love Dylan. Though he’s had a rough time of it since he’s been a shifter, he’s a survivor and a loyal friend, which I think even surprises him here and there. He exerts some alpha-ness near the end of the book while staying true to the beta inside, and he stole the rest of my heart at that point. It took me a bit to warm up to Sasha. I’m thinking that’s because I so like Abby and Brynn and for me Sasha just pales a little in comparison. But she’s good for Dylan, she’s brave, and she’s willing to work on their relationship, do what it takes to make it work.

This has been a terrific series, and I sure hope this Moira Rogers team has a few more for the future.

Grade: B

Summary:

After a decade under a corrupt alpha’s thumb, Dylan Gennaro is still reeling from the changes in his life: a new home, a new alpha, a pack at war. Even normal things like an ending relationship. Still, when he’s asked to work with an outcast witch, he agrees without hesitation. Maybe by protecting her, he’ll rediscover his own inner strength. If, indeed, it exists.

Sasha Wallace lost her mentor in a vicious attack that left her scarred in spirit as well as body. While she’s grateful for the refuge offered by the Red Rock alpha, it’s tough living with the pack’s suspicion. Even though–or maybe because–she’s willing to use her powers to help them fight their war. Except for Dylan. When she’s finally free to find a new home, he’ll be the only one she regrets leaving behind.

Their attraction is a balm to their wounded hearts, until their journey for knowledge brings them face to face with a terrifying vampire. Neither has the strength for this fight–but if they can let go of their pasts and trust each other, they might just be able to do it. Together.
Warning: Contains dangerous magical binding spells, a flannel-wearing vampire lumberjack, paranormal road-trip hijinks and a quietly brilliant werewolf willing to defy his society and his past to protect the witch he loves.